Circa 1960 — Reborn 2016
Honouring a legacy
From a small accordion shop in Little Italy to one of Montreal's most beloved music schools — this is the story of a family legacy that refused to fade.
Walk into 288 Jean-Talon Est today and you'll hear a piano on one side, drums on the other, a teenager finding their first chord down the hall. None of it would exist without a story that began with a single accordion shop, over half a century ago.
The Dreamer
Before he ever owned a music shop, Flavio Zeffiro worked a factory job.
In the late 1950s, a modest shop opened its doors on Jean-Talon Street East, in the heart of Little Italy. Its name: Italmelody (later becoming Italmelodie), a nod to the neighborhood where it was born.
Flavio Zeffiro was a weekday factory labourer and a weekend musician who was booked by Italmelody to play accordion for various members of the community. This humble little music store, which sold mainly accordions imported from Italy, would one day become his music retail empire.
In the early-to-mid 1970s, he left the factory behind and took the reins. The factory worker had become an owner.
Flavio Zeffiro in front of the original Italmelody at 16 Jean-Talon Ouest, mid-1960s — before he owned it.
The Empire
Under Flavio, Italmelodie grew into something far bigger than a corner shop. The business moved to 274 Jean-Talon Est in the early 1980s, eventually expanding next door to 250 — its final Montréal address — alongside a second location in Laval.
At its peak, it employed over 130 people. The inventory ran into the millions — grand pianos, drum kits, guitars by the hundreds — with a rental and repair service and a reputable music school that taught thousands of students over the years.
The sales team was made up of musicians who performed for customers, turning the showroom into a kind of impromptu venue. The store hosted workshops and meet-and-greets with renowned guest artists, who signed instruments and memorabilia for staff and customers alike.
The new Italmelodie at 274 Jean-Talon Est — opening day of an empire.
The final Italmelodie showroom at 250 Jean-Talon Est — shortly before the 2016 closure.
The doors closed.
After more than 50 years, Italmelodie shut its doors. The end of an era — generations of Montréal musicians had passed through those doors. For Johnny Zeffiro, Flavio's youngest son, letting the legacy fade into history was not an option.
“It was more than a store — it was an institution.”
— A former Italmelodie piano tuner
The Decision
Determined and driven by the desire to carry on his father's legacy, Johnny Zeffiro embarked on a new venture in 2016. He teamed up with Ron Harris — former director of the Italmelodie music school, himself a musician and an experienced businessman — to launch École de musique du Marché.
The name is a nod to the adjacent historic Jean-Talon Market, in the heart of Little Italy. A new identity. The same mission.
Ron Harris & Johnny Zeffiro — carrying the torch together
A New Chapter
The school had modest beginnings — about a hundred students from the former Italmelodie, and a select few teachers who followed. Some of those teachers are still with us today.
École de musique du Marché has big shoes to fill, but it carries on — with a new identity, while preserving a cultural tradition in the local and broader community through music.
The Spirit Lives On
In the ten years since its opening, École de musique du Marché has grown to more than 400 students every week. The teaching staff is now 25 academically trained teachers — many with music diplomas, many performing regularly on stages across Montreal and abroad — supported by an administrative team made up of musicians themselves who understand exactly what music students need.
Every December, more than 100 students of all ages and skill levels take the stage at Casa d'Italia, the Italian cultural centre two blocks from the school. They play a sprawling range of repertoire for friends and family — the clearest possible proof that the spirit of Italmelodie still lives on, in the same neighborhood where it all began many years ago by an accordionist with a dream.
Casa d'Italia (505 Jean-Talon Est) — where École de musique du Marché holds its annual Christmas concert.
Photo: Sandra Cohen-Rose & Colin Rose · CC BY 2.0
“The institution changed its name, but the soul remains the same: a warm place where music is accessible to everyone, in the neighbourhood where it was born.”
— Johnny Zeffiro, Founder
The story continues — with you.
Join the 400+ students keeping this musical legacy alive every week.